krisdrum

Probably this. I'd bet the shaft dimensions for youth are pretty varied.

Yes, the general consensus is 1/2 size down. So 5.5 - which will also mean a shorter runner, so just be aware of that. I wound up needing to put a longer profile radius on my blades to feel stable. As for width, True TFs (and all their out-of-box retail models) only come in Regular and Wide. I had a pair of Nexus D for a hot second and they were pretty snug, but comfortable on my forefoot. I recall the toecap being pretty roomy. Really not sure whether you could get away with the Regular or need the Wide. Not sure how different the two widths are in True. I'm guessing if you go Wide and don't need them you'll just get more wrap as the facings will be closer together on top of your foot. If you haven't tried True before - they are a pretty different beast. "Extreme" wrap of the foot from toecap up. I can't just slide my foot straight in. Have to twist and wedge my foot in - and similar process for taking off. Just something to be aware of.

I'd go 1/2 size smaller than whatever you are in the Nexus (assuming the Nexus fit you well). I have a wide forefoot, narrow heel. TFs fit me great. But I wouldn't count the newer Trues out just yet. Again - very moldable. I haven't tried them, so maybe someone who has can weigh in on the fit with a wide foot.

TF series became the Hzrdus line. But they've changed the fit a bit. From what I understand the newer skates are a bit narrower and less "duck feet" shaped. But the shells are incredibly moldable - like nothing anyone else is making. I'd try both - but they MUST be baked to try. Believe they are still doing the 30 day money back guarantee as well. Worst case - I'd bet there are still plenty of TFs out there if you look. The Cats are a softer "agility" boot and have the same fit/shape as the Hzrdus.

Not doubting they were done correctly. Theorizing that moving down a holder size and only adjusting the profile up 1 foot radius may not be a big enough change to equal out the reduction in holder size. Find a knowledgeable person/shop to talk this through with. I ended up with Binnie - as he offers "free consultation" that I found helpful and wanted to give him my business as part of that, but I'm sure there are plenty of other folks out there that can advise on highly technical matters like this.

That might not be a big enough difference in profile. I've got small feet, but with the True TF9s, even smaller than I'm used to runners. The standard 9/10 profile made me feel very unstable. Reached out to Binnie's in Pittsburgh and he suggested a ProSharp Zuperior Small (6'/12'/20') for my 238mm blades. It's made a huge difference. Way more steel on the ice gives me way more confidence I can grip and hold an edge.

They did make a big jump in price compared to the OGs.

My son who likes his gear to hug his body picked up a pair of the newest Vapors a few months back when he clearly outgrew his Supreme shins. He likes them way more than the Supremes I bought in the next size up and had to sell. Not sure if he tried the Warriors on in the process of settling on the Vapors.

Connect? Are they out of stock already?! We got my son a pair about a month ago. Coming from OG Cat9s. He likes the 9x4 even better. And dad likes that so far they seem to be holding up way better than the OGs. We went through 2 pairs of the OGs with shell cracking issues.

No one else is using or has experience? Is it just too fringe a product?

Yep, I'm gonna pull a nearly 2 year old, 2 post thread back from the dead. Been seeing the I2 "club" ads on social media and has piqued my interest for my 14U son, especially with what looks like a growing roster of junior and D1 young studs adopting the tech. Anyone have long-term impressions based on extensive use of these over the last 2+ years?

No direct experience with the newer models, but the lower level skates may not thermoform to the same degree as the upper level ones. I have TF7 and 9 and don't really notice a difference, but not sure if they've changed their approach since those were released.

@swede just to be clear, my statement was purely an educated guess based on my knowledge of gen 1 Cat construction. I thought that was pretty clear based on my statement. Agree with @Sprungdownunder that it is likely only the models that use carbon for the shells (it tends to be thinner, lighter and more fragile than similar composite weave materials). My understanding is gen 1 Cat7s did not have carbon, but I could be misinformed / misremembering. I know the gen 2 7x4 and 9x4 are carbon shells, although there has been some debate in here that each model might have slightly different lay-up construction. So far, my son's 9x4 are holding up well - about a month into use. But it is a long season ahead, so I am cautiously optimistic.

I would think the 5 and 7 would be less prone, given they use fiberglass, which tends to be thicker and heavier. But I'm sure someone closer to it will confirm/deny. The 9s definitely. My kid cracked 2 pair in about 12 months. He's in the 9x4 now and is loving them. Dad has his fingers crossed they are more durable. Especially with the price jump.

Sounds like a profiling adjustment would be in order instead of "renovating" the boot to holder interface. Believe the stock profile on the True blades is a 9'/10' combo.

Besides being digital instead of analog, I'm really not sure how this is an improvement over the previous sibling - the ProSharp Home. I guess the ability to drop a skate in and walk away is nice, but doesn't seem like that much more of a convenience to me. And the previous Home unit was metal throughout, making it far more road worthy in my eyes than this or the Sparx plastic boxes. The only reason I might consider this or the Sparx is I've recently been having issues with my brother-in-law's Home unit not giving me square edges no matter how much I fine tune the adjustments - which is a real bummer.

They were rock solid in CCM XS holders. Been in True Shift Max holders the last 18 months or so and did experience some fore/aft and vertical play between blades and holders, but play wasn't there with supplied True steel, which makes no sense, so not sure it is an outcome of the blades. Second set of True holders had zero issues, so I chalk it up to the holder, not the blade.

My kid has been using them the last 2 years +, swapping skates about every season (outgrowing gear). No issues with any wear that I've noticed to the holders. I must have missed it, but what kind of damage were folks speculating could happen?

@walkerdb7 Food for thought - I'd imagine your shooting technique has been honed over years of playing, compared to your son's, as good as his technique might be, it isn't an apples to apples comparison as he is still growing and maturing. Obviously the trend it towards flexes that are less than 1/2 body weight, but there are some downsides to going too low. Shooting gurus like Glen Tucker (shot doctor) talk about the blade gripping the ice as an essential part of technique and proper flex for a given player. Going too low takes that grip away as you overflex the stick. I'm 5'6" 190. My kid is about the same height now, but at 14 doesn't yet have the weight and muscle mass I have and weighs in around 130. His technique is way better than mine (I picked up the game when he did) and he has been using 55 flex for a bit now and finds it effective. I have tried everything from 55 (his sticks) up to 75 +. I like around 65 or 70 cut down to my preferred height as a good balance between too whippy and too stiff. Going lower than that is too whippy when shooting and I lose blade grip on the ice. At 215, 75 flex - you are using a flex about 1/3 your body weight. Moving your son down to 15 flex at 75 lbs, the flex would be less than 1/4 his body weight. If you use the same ratio you use for your son, he'd be using about a 25 flex. Obviously there are other factors at play, but I can understand why most responses to your OP are thinking 15 will be too whippy and not effective.

I'm seeing the 9x4 available in local stores, but none of the lower models. Anyone have any insight on the 7x4 being available to try on and buy? That is the skate I am leaning toward for my son, based on the specs I am seeing, assuming it fits similar to the current Cat9.

@Healthyscratch curious what the resolution was. I bet it could help others who had similar experience to yours

Have you tried the flex tendon guards? The ones that come on the Cats? It almost sounds like the rigid guards on the custom skates aren't a good match to the high level players in your area (longer strides with lots of toe flick I'd imagine). It sounds like the guard is getting pushed beyond its flex point skate after skate and the rivet/screw is the weak link, loosens up and eventually fails. That gets compounded by the rivet retention issue they've had with their holders and you keep getting failures. I know the guard on my TF skates (screwed in) loosens up ever few skates and I just take a second to tighten it up. But I'm hardly a big strong 17 year old. I know my old billet had 2 pairs of custom Trues he would swap out during the season of Juniors he was with us. But that is likely cost prohibitive for most folks. What about copper rivets? That seems to solve the issue with the holder. Way more of a pain to install, but usually pretty bulletproof.

Sucks you are having issues, but I'm going to guess for every bad experience, like yours, there are tons of people who have no issues. I've had 4 pairs of Trues in my house over the last 3 or so years and never had an issues with the tendon guards on either the TF or Catalyst lines. I've had other issues with carbon durability, but never with tendon guards or rivets. I also make sure I take footbeds out and dry them well. How does a rivet not keep the guard on? What happens?

See, I knew I could trust you more than a rep. By adding a bit of fiberglass (or fibreglass for you Canadians), they make the boot a bit heavier, but also give it a bit more durability, as I recall fiberglass is a bit tougher than carbon. Carbon is notorious in the bike industry for "catastrophic failure", but is light and can be made into any shape, so you can downplay the fragility of it with design. Harder to do that with a boot, since it needs to be foot shaped and that doesn't allow for much engineering to mitigate the failure modes.

In the Ice Warehouse Youtube video, the True rep literally says the only difference between the 9 and 7 is the insole and the steel. Although I'll say I would tend to trust @VegasHockey over a sales rep any day. @VegasHockey when you say "composite" - do you have specifics? Technically (from my understanding) carbon fiber is a composite. Basically any material that combines two (or more) different materials (aka - carbon weave and epoxy). My kid is in his 2nd pair of Cat9s as well, and I just checked them last night after a weekend tournament and they are cracking and delam-ing again after the first pair was warranty replaced. With the improvements, I would definitely look at the new Cat line again, as he loves the current skates (durability issues not withstanding). I would definitely look at the 7x4 is there is really almost no difference between it and the 9, especially since we typically get our own steel anyway (he has been on Bladetech the last few years).